Friends?
by nautika
Summary: The war is over and Frodo has time to think. Is that a good thing?


Friends?  
By nautika

Summary: The war is over and Frodo has time to think. Is that a good thing?

Rating: K

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Tolkien. I am grateful to him and to those who brought them to life on film. This is a not for profit fiction.

Author's note: This was my first attempt at LOTR fan fiction and was is based on the movies. I had just become acquainted with these works and my feelings/favorites changed over those first weeks. The main characters are Aragorn and Frodo in this story, but there are references to others in the Fellowship, especially Boromir.

**Friends?**

The fighting was over and the Ring was destroyed. He should have been celebrating with the others. There was a grand feast with singing and dancing inside and here he was alone on the dimly lit balcony. He glanced back over his shoulder watching Sam trade stories with Merry and Pippin. Their eyes were glowing and they were continuously interrupting each other. Frodo smiled and turned back to the darkness.

The door creaked slightly as Aragorn stepped through it onto the balcony.

He had been uneasy when he had first realized Frodo was absent from the festivities. "Old habits are difficult to break", he thought to himself.

Now he watched the Hobbit for a time, and finally moved to his side.

Frodo glanced up at him, then dropped his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, Aragorn spoke quietly. "We have come a long way from that night at the Prancing Pony, have we not?"

Frodo's only response was a nod.

"What troubles you, Frodo?"

Frodo sighed. "Boromir."

"He was sorry for trying to take the Ring from you, Frodo. The Ring pulled him in. He would never have attacked you otherwise."

"I know. It isn't that. He was very brave and fought valiantly to save Merry and Pippin. Merry told me."

Aragorn's brows came together. "What then?"

"I told Faramir that we were friends – Boromir and I. And then I realized we weren't." Frodo's voice dropped to a whisper. "Not on Boromir's part."

Aragorn was stunned. He placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder and turned the Hobbit to face him, kneeling as he did so. Frodo looked at him, his expressive eyes filled with sorrow.

"We really weren't, you know. He was fond of Merry and Pippin, that's why he fought so hard at the end. He really cared about them."

"Boromir would have died for any of us, Frodo! He was a brave and noble man!"

"I have no doubt of his courage or nobility. I only say that he is no longer with us and I am sorry not to have had his friendship. I wish he had taught me to use a sword the way he did Merry and Pippin. Remember how you all wrestled that day?"

Aragorn nodded, smiling slightly.

Frodo continued. "I remember how you all laughed…what joy you shared. I missed that."

Aragorn was at a loss. "Frodo, your days have been long and difficult and too much responsibility was forced upon you. Those days are past. Soon you will return to the Shire. I hope that there you will feel like yourself again."

"Perhaps."

"He cared for you, Frodo."

"It was always Merry and Pippin that he carried. Through the snow; across the gap in the bridge at Moria…." Frodo's voice trailed off.

Aragorn's voice was forceful. "And it was at the entrance to Moria that he fought the beast and caught you as you fell from it's grasp! And it was Boromir who caught you at the bridge as our section fell onto theirs. It was Boromir who carried you out after Gandalf fell with the Balrog. I was frozen, but he held true. You have closed your mind to these things to protect your heart. We all miss Boromir, but you feel the weight of his death on your shoulders." Aragorn paused to give emphasis to his next words. He continued more quietly. "He fought alone, Frodo. That was not your doing. We heard the Horn of Gondor, but were too late to save him. Many bodies lay about him, victims of his sword and stout heart. I was with him when he died, but not in battle. The burden is not yours."

They were quiet for a time, each lost in thoughts of their fallen companion.

Finally, Frodo murmured, "Don't carry the weight of the dead."

Aragorn looked questioningly at the Hobbit.

Frodo explained. "He said that to me at Lothlórien…after Gandalf's fall."

Aragorn smiled. "Then I would say you were friends, after all."

Frodo seemed to stop breathing. Then his eyes lit and a smile spread across his face. "Yes, I suppose we were."

end


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